Age of Miracles
by WildfireKhaleesi
Summary: Y/N is a new member of the Avengers, and after learning that S.H.I.E.L.D has been confiscated by HYDRA, her abilities and loyalty are put to the test.
1. Age of Miracles: Pilot

"You sure, Steve?" You asked, leaning forward.

"It was him," Steve told you. "Maybe he doesn't remember anything, Y/N, but I remember him. It was him."

You sipped at the bottle of whiskey you held, nestling further into the wall nearest to Steve. Natasha looked between the two of you while she got her arm stitched up from the wound she received while fighting the Winter Soldier. You were all in the tunnel that Agent Hill had brought you to, Fury seated in the middle, sickly and injured as ever; but not dead.

"Say he does know you," you began, "what do you plan on doing Rogers? We can't just airlift him out. We have a mission, and he's in the way."

"I won't take him down. It's not a promise I can make." Steve finalized, downing a gulp of water from his water bottle.

"Okay, so, say we don't _take him down,_ " Natasha rationalized, "what's the game plan?"

"We fight. Our goal is to stabilize the helicarriers, not to kill Bucky. I'll handle him, chances are Hydra has him near wherever the main fighting is going down. Sam can station a chip in one of the carriers for targeting," Sam nodded in heed of his words, "I can get the other…"

"Y/N, you'll stay near me on my two helicarriers. Just in case I can get ahold of Buck and need help getting him out." Steve finalized, looking to you desperately. "You're a good fighter, I know you just joined the Avengers, but I need your help. I trust you."

"Shit, fine Rogers. If I die, I'm coming back to haunt your ass though."

"I don't doubt that a bit." He smiled. "Nat, you'll be working on overriding Project Insight from Pierce. You'll have to go under cover."

"You'll need me in order to override it." Fury stated, leaning against his elbows in his gurney. "It takes two officials to override. Bastard probably wiped me from the system, but I should be able to use my left eye."

"You sure Fury? You have been through some shit in the past week." Natasha voiced, worried for her superior.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright," Steve continued, "Last thing, Agent Hill?"

"Yes Captain?" She answered.

"I'll need you to monitor everything. You'll have HYDRA agents coming after you, but it's nothing I don't believe you can handle."

"I got your backs." She agreed, smiling.

"And another thing…" Steve began, "Be on the lookout for Rumlow."

He gave the group of you a nod of his head before turning and exiting the tunnel.

"Okay," Natasha huffed, standing up and wincing at the slight pain in her shoulder, "this is how it's going to go."

You rode in the helicopter next to Steve, bouncing your right knee as you watched the ground pass underneath you.

"You nervous?" Steve asked, adjusting his mask.

"I'd say that's an understatement…" You scoffed.

"What is there to be nervous about?"

"The impending doom. You should understand. If we don't carry out this mission successfully, our world is down millions of people. How are you functioning so well?"

"Experience." He replied simply, latching his shield into place on his back.

"It's not just that. I'm new, Rogers. I don't have any powers, and this is the first big mission I've been on."

"You don't want powers. They only make you feel alone." He whispered, looking out towards the horizon.

"I don't want them, you're right. I guess I just don't see why I'm even an Avenger in the first place…"

"Y/N, you're one of the best fighters I've seen. You're smarter than anyone I know, too. But don't tell Bruce that. You're supposed to be here. We need you. _I_ need you." Steve grabbed your hand and squeezed, smiling when you squeezed back.

You sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the passing scenery and preparing your minds for the battle to come. Your anxiety continued to ebb at your mind, poking and prodding, begging for attention. Disentangling your hand from Steve's, you busied yourself with readying your pistols, throwing knives, hand knife, and concussion grenades.

"You ready?" Steve breathed out, watching as the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters came into view.

"As I'll ever be." You replied, standing up and attaching your wingsuit, parachute and goggles. "I'm right behind you, Rogers."

"Alright. Let's go."

You watched as he shot you a wink, propelling himself out of the helicopter and into the surrounding air. Allowing yourself a deep breath and a quick whisper of _fuck it,_ you jumped out after him, spreading your arms and allowing the military grade fabric to catch wind.

Soon you were gliding, watching as the helicarriers beached themselves from the ocean around you.

You caught Steve's figure down below you, falling feet first as he plummeted into the water. Angling yourself directly towards the middle carrier, you flew faster, releasing your chute a mere hundred feet above impact. As you floated towards the cement you disattached the wingsuit, nerves prickling and adrenaline racking throughout your body in electric-like shocks.

Steve climbed up the edge nearest to you as you landed, smiling when he saw you were okay.

"You ready to fuck this shit up, Cap?" You laughed.

"Language." He snipped delicately, trying not to sound too harsh.

"ON YOUR LEFT." Echoed throughout your earpiece as Sam, or should we say Falcon, flew beside you, evading someone behind him.

"Sam, what the hell-"

"Y/N! MOVE!" Steve shouted, shoving you out of the way and to the hard pavement. You felt your head make contact with the ground and ringing in your ears followed. Metal on metal sounded around you and you raised your head to see Bucky and Steve fighting over control. Metal arm against vibranium shield.

Your body reacted quicker than your mind, sending you forward and into the long haired, giant figure. A grunt of protest sounded as he fell to the ground, his body breaking your fall. He was as solid as Steve, and his cold metal arm against your side only added to the stiffness.

You were sailing across the air and towards the edge of the carrier quickly. Bucky had easily sent you flying with ease. You felt hot pain shoot from your right thumb to its elbow. Gritting your teeth, you managed to crawl to the very edge of the carrier, peering over and seeing a ledge to the lower floor. You snuck a look back at Steve, who was landing punch after punch on an advancing Bucky.

"Steve!" You shouted, looking between your friend and the ledge below you.

"Go!" He yelled back, somehow managing to toss you the second chip.

You caught it and shuffled closer to the edge, readying a grappling hook, and then you jumped; latching the hook against the carrier's side and walking horizontally towards the ledge. A HYDRA agent stood below you, aiming a sniper at Falcon. You jumped down, pulling out and throwing one of your 4 throwing knives. It sank with a slurping noise and you grimaced, running across a small walkway and towards the system stationed in the middle of the inside of the ship.

You swiped a finger across the green screen, typing in the password Hill had you recite back in the tunnel. The screen glew with the words _ACCESS GRANTED,_ and you stepped back as a tray opened up with chips similar to yours in it. You took out the one in the first row, third from the end on the right side, and then replaced it with your own. You retyped the password and watched as the tray was sucked back into the machinery. Shoving the HYDRA chip into your back pocket, you ran back towards the ledge.

You hooked yourself back up to the grapple line, your left arm causing you to scream in pain before you were jumping and walking your way back towards the top. Falcon waited for you, sweat and blood trickling down his face.

"Hey buddy." You grunted, jogging up to him. "Where's Rogers?"

"Third carrier. He wanted me to bring you there. Winter Soldier was on his ass the whole ride there." You sucked in a deep breath, allowing Sam to pull you close and use his metal winged military suit to fly you across the expanding battle.

Bullets ricocheted off of the suit as you went, each _dink_ causing you to squint your eyes closed even further. You didn't open them until you felt cement under them again. Sam shot off quickly, telling you that he was headed after Rumlow. You looked at your surroundings. You were on a ledge similar to the one you were on previously, a long metal walkway ahead of you.

Steve was stationed in the middle, Bucky ahead of him.

"Steve…" You grunted, shuffling closer towards the pair. Steve didn't move an inch, or even reply to you for that matter.

"We have 15 minutes, guys." Hill stated through your earpieces.

"Bucky...move." Steve gritted out. You were now only ten feet away from him.

"Who the fuck is Bucky?!" the Winter Soldier shot back, stepping closer to Steve. You watched Steve send his shield hurtling towards Bucky, a shot nobody would be capable of evading; but you were shell-shocked when Bucky shot out his metal arm, discarding the shield to the bottom of the large metal and glass bubble the three of you were in.

Bucky smirked, walking in full strides up to Steve, and crashing his metallic fist against Steve's helmeted face. Bucky looked up and met your eyes as Steve's unconscious body went over the railing and down to the next level.

"STEVE!" You screamed, scared to look over the edge but doing so anyways.

That was your first mistake, your second was not noticing Bucky stalking towards you. Your own worried gaze met Bucky's hardened one right before he lifted you up by your shoulders, his metal arm squeezing and shattering your right shoulder blade.

"FUCK-" You screamed, kicking against rock hard abdomen. Bucky tilted his head and simply looked at you pitifully, blue eyes icy and fiery all at once. The muscles inside your body contracted as Bucky shifted your weight. Your third mistake was not preparing yourself for what you knew was coming.

One second you felt a gloved and metallic hand on either shoulder, the next all you felt was gravity working against you. You screamed as you fell, your body meeting and shattering the spherical glass shape below. Large glass shards stabbed into your back and thighs, and you felt like you were on fire as you fell, blood seeping into your clothes and trickling down your face. A second later and you were freezing cold, water seeping into not only your clothes, but your mouth and lungs as well.

And then you felt absolutely nothing at all.


	2. Chapter 2: Longing

Steve felt the water crash against his body. Everything was surreal. From the swollen eye and lip he had gotten from Bucky, to the consciousness he was losing, to the water filling his lungs. He felt himself checking in and out of reality, flashbacks of him and Bucky on the train flickering through his mind.

And then he felt something, no, _someone_ grasp his shoulder and pull; the water surrounding him making way for his muscular body. He felt the sand underneath him and the air rushing to his lungs as he was beached.

Steve coughed up the remaining water in his airway as he opened his eyes, the harsh sunrays burning his retinas. He craned his neck to the left, watching as Bucky looked down on him.

"Y-Y/N…" Steve whimpered, his throat aching and swelling.

Bucky looked to the right of Steve, guilt building up in his mind as he took in his friend's weak figure and the dead girl next to him.

Steve sensed the hesitance in Bucky's glance and again readjusted his neck, this time looking to his right. You were next to him, your green cargo pants and black crop top drenched, a small blood trail flowing down the corner of your mouth and staining the sand next to you. He watched your chest, waiting for the steady rise and fall that didn't come.

Steve felt the tears welling up in his eyes as he dragged his body closer to yours, pushing your long strands of hair out of your face and looking into your dead eyes. He turned around, looking for Bucky, hoping to release the anger building up inside of him, but Bucky wasn't there anymore.

Carefully, Steve closed your eyes, pulling out his walkie talkie and turning up the volume.

"Steve? Are you there?" Natasha's voice filled the silence, "Rogers, where the fuck are you? I can't find Y/N." Steve broke when he heard Natasha's worry, sobs flooding the silence as he closed his eyes.

"I'm here," Steve replied, holding down the button and attempting to keep the sobs out of his already strained tone. "North shore. Y/N is here. We're going to need a medic… Get Stark out here. We'll need him. She's gone."

…

Natasha and Sam both sat next to Steve, all of them clad in sweatpants and Stark Enterprise t-shirts that Tony provided them with when he arrived.

It had been hours since your body was retrieved from the shore, Steve clutching your body and crying when Tony and Rhodes tried to pull you from him.

Nat knew that Steve blamed himself, that's why he was being so quiet and just sitting there. Usually Steve would be pacing around, doing anything to calm his nerves. But now he was sitting next to her, guilt and nerves eating away at him.

The only sign he was still functioning was the rise and fall of his chest. His eyes were closed, nearly swollen shut from crying. Nat had held him back when Tony and Rhodes finally pried you away from him. She could still hear the way he shouted your name when the helicopter carrying you, Tony, and a team of the best paramedics Tony could find flew away.

All of the Avengers were at the hospital waiting to be notified of your status. Last they had heard, Tony was flying to the Stark tower to get a small prototype that would reboot and maintain your heartbeat. That was just over two hours ago. They'd revived you three times so far, but your heart just couldn't keep up.

"Anymore news?" Clint questioned, walking into the small lobby and sitting down on the other side of Natasha.

"None so far." Bruce answered, pacing in front of everyone to remain calm.

"I'm sure Lady Y/N will pull through. She's a strong woman." Thor thought aloud.

"I should've stopped him." Steve mumbled, opening his blue eyes slowly.

"Steve, you did what you could." Clint argued, "there wasn't much else you could have done."

"I could have distracted him better. Could have fought better." Steve quipped. "Buck didn't want to hurt us."

"What do you mean, Rogers?" Natasha asked, leaning forward.  
"He pulled us from the water. Both of us." Steve admitted, knitting his brows together. "He looked at us both, I saw his face. He was sorry."

Natasha eyed Clint, worry creeping its way into her mind.

"And he just left?" Sam asked, rubbing his chin.

"He just left." Steve finalized, jumping at the sound of the door opening next to him.

Tony stepped out, undereye circles prominent and looking exhausted as ever.

"We got a heart beat. The prototype did a good job of bringing her back. Doc had to go into her skull to release some pressure. There's a small monitor against the side of her skull, just to watch for swelling. They also had to give her a blood transfusion." Tony announced, sitting next to Thor. "We've never done anything like this.." He trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off an ebbing migraine.

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked.

"Well, we haven't done anything like this before, like I just said. Because of that, we don't know if Y/N will be exactly the same when she wakes up. I haven't heard of this sort of resurrection, guys. She had been gone for hours. We don't necessarily know what we're dealing with."

"She's not a monster." Steve growled, looking up and meeting Tony's eyes.

"I didn't say she was, Spangles. I'm just saying that we can't assume that everything is going to be fine and dandy when she wakes up."

Steve snorted angrily, shaking his head before nestling it in his hands and falling back into a deep silence.

"Y/N is strong, that's for certain. We'll take it step by step. Let's just wait for her to wake up until we start considering her state of mind, Tony." Clint rationalized.

"I agree with the small man." Thor nodded, confused as to why Clint sent him a glare.

The seven of them fell back into a deafening silence as they waited.

…

You heard the swing music from somewhere far away, perhaps deep in your mind. You were aware that you were now alive. Whatever was before this newfound _something_ was utter _nothing._ The nothingness had to be death. That much you knew.

You looked at your pitch black surroundings, the only light coming from hundreds of meters ahead of you, finally concluding that you must be in a long corridor. The music, you assumed, was coming from the opposite end.

You walked slowly, each step draining your energy radically.

Screams and the sounds of chains rattling drowned out the music as you neared the end.

"NO! STOP!" A man's shrill scream echoed. The metallic walls around you sent the scream behind you until you couldn't hear it anymore.

As you got closer you could hear more voices, each intricately accented, and each speaking a language you did not know. You assumed it was either German or Russian.

Time passed slowly, and you figured that you'd never reach the end of the tunnel, until you suddenly did. It shot out at you like a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun, and you stopped mid-step. The new fluorescent lights momentarily blinding you.

"Longing. Rusted. Seventeen. Daybreak. Furnace. Nine. Benign. Homecoming. One. Freightcar." A heavily accented voice spoke.

You opened your eyes slowly, taking in the scene around you. Military machinery was set up, old computers and file cabinets littering the small room you were in. Your senses kicked in, and you knew that you were in some sort of bomb shelter. As you looked behind you, it clicked. A large HYDRA flag was nailed to the wall.

Your stomach did cartwheels as you lowered your gaze to the tortured and dismembered figure in the rusted chair below the flag. Bucky sat in front of you, looking past your body and towards the HYDRA agents surrounding you. His eyes were still that grey-blue you remembered seeing at the SHIELD headquarters, but they were vacant now. No speck of emotion showing.

"No…" Bucky whimpered, breaking his void resolve and struggling to break free of the chains.

"Wipe him." The heavily accented voice spoke again.

"NO!" Bucky screamed, lashing aimlessly, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? STOP!"

You stepped back, tripping over your own feet; and then you fell.

You felt the glass shards again, and then the hot, sticky blood clogging your airway, and then the harsh impact of the water around you.

…

You woke up with a start, adrenaline coursing through your body. Your eyes adjusted to the bright lighting of the room you were in. Vision still hazy, you examined your surroundings.

 _Great, a hospital,_ you thought to yourself, groaning internally. Steady and unusually heavy thumping occurred in your chest. Your body immediately constricted, straining to understand and adjust to the newfound awkwardness.

You felt the thumping pick up its pace, reaching high speeds, and then the monitors next to your bed went off. The shrill beeping could probably be heard from across the street. _Shit._

Within minutes your room was flooded with doctors and nurses, all carefully watching you. Memories surged through your mind; the fight. You could remember Sam flying you over to where Steve was, you could remember watching Steve get tossed over the railing…

"Where's Steve?" You croaked, attempting to sit up before a doctor ushered you back down.

"Mr. Rogers has been made aware of your current state, Ms. Y/L/N. He and Mr. Stark should be in momentarily. In the meantime, we're going to need you to take a few deep breaths and focus on slowing your heartbeat."

You let his words soak in before allowing your body to relax. Examining the ceiling above you, you managed to regulate your breathing; your heartbeat slowing with it.

"Not to be a pain in the ass, but could someone get me a cup of water?" You grimaced, throat cracking as you spoke.

"Sure, Ms. Y/L/N." A small brunette nurse replied, taking her leave quickly.

When the nurse returned, she brought Tony and Steve with her. Steve grabbed the water from her hands and scrambled to your side, blue eyes laced with guilt and worry.

"Hey, Cap." You whispered, allowing him to help you take a gulp of water through a straw. "Thanks."

"Hey, Y/N… How are you feeling?" Steve asked, grabbing one of your small hands and running his thumb absentmindedly across the top.

"Shitty."

"We don't doubt it, short-stack." Tony quipped, leaning against the wall next to your other side. "Do you guys mind?" He asked, motioning for the doctors and nurses to give the three of you some time, to which they agreed.

After the strew of them left, Tony faced you again.

"What happened?" You whispered.

"Well, you're a near-bionic woman. We had to replace your entire left shoulder blade, and both your left radius and ulna. " Tony replied lazily. You took in his dark under eye circles and frowned. "You've been out cold for two days."

"...did you get the chip into the last helicarrier?" You asked, looking towards Steve.

"Yes." He mumbled in response, gripping your hand.

"And Bucky?"

"He was the one who pulled me and you out of the water…" Steve answered.

"So we got him?"

"No."

"I'm sorry, Steve." You whispered, eyes brimming with tears.

" _You're sorry?_ Y/N, I'm the one that should be sorry. You died because I couldn't just _stop_ him."

"Wait, I died? Like officially died?"

"Welcome back, kiddo." Tony replied, smiling sadly.

"How even- How am I back?" You asked incredulously.

"Prototype from none other than Stark Industries. I had to fly to the tower to get it. It ensures that your heart continues to beat." Tony explained.

You shook your head, overwhelmed with all of the new information you were receiving.

"So I was dead…" You murmured.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked you, eyebrows furrowing.

"I mean that there was nothing. But then there was something." You struggled to explain, trying to make sense of everything in your mind.

"What?" Steve questioned.

"There was this like, emptiness? Like an abyss of nothingness. I don't know. But then there was something, something important…" You trailed off. _I need to remember,_ you thought to yourself.

It was cold, and there were echoes. _Oh._

"I saw HYDRA."

"What?" Tony asked, stepping forward. "What do you mean you saw HYDRA, Y/N?"

"I saw HYDRA, but it was a long time ago. I was in some sort of bunker or bomb shelter. Something. There was a long hallway, and screams. The screams just kept echoing off of the walls…" You exhaled, "I followed them into this- this room. It was definitely old. There was military machinery and old computers. It even had old filing cabinets."

"Maybe it was a dream?" Steve added thoughtfully.

"No, this wasn't a dream." You reassured. "It really happened. Not me being there, but the situation itself. I remember turning around and seeing the HYDRA flag. And then I looked down and- and, Steve, I saw Bucky."

"You saw Bucky?"

"Yes. He was missing his arm and he was scared. They were telling him these words and he was screaming, _begging_ them to stop. But they wouldn't, and when he didn't listen- there was one man who told the others to wipe him."

"And then what happened?" Steve asked, his jaw set, anger flooding his features.

"And then I woke up." You answered shakily. "What's wrong with me?"

"I don't quite know how, but I think you saw the past." Tony told you.

"But isn't that impossible?"

"Not necessarily. The doctors did have to go into your skull to relieve some pressure. It's possible that the pressure triggered something in your brain that allows you to see the past. It's like you're able to use a part of the brain that we haven't been able to yet." Tony reasoned, chewing his bottom lip. "Bruce is going to love this."

"Hold up, Stark. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." You rushed out, looking at the two men in front of you. "Let's wait this out. See what happens. We don't know anything for certain, and I'm definitely going to need some rest if we tell Bruce about this. He's going to want to constantly monitor my brain activity and the whole nine yards."

"Alright, whatever you say kiddo. I'm going to at least go let the rest of them know they can come visit you. Should probably call Pepper while I'm at it, she's been worried."

"Tell her I say hello." You smiled, watching as Tony exited the room. You looked towards Steve, who was still holding on to your hand. "Are you okay?" You asked lowly, not wanting to seem too invasive.

"I don't know, Y/N. I'm worried." Steve answered honestly. You smiled sadly at him, squeezing his hand in support.

"I'm worried, too." You whispered. Steve reluctantly drew his hand away as Natasha and the others waltzed in, mixtures of worry and relief on everyone's faces.

"Hey, Nat." You smiled, letting her kiss your forehead and sit in the chair next to Steve's.

"Hey girlie. You feeling any better?"

"Eh, hard to say I've had worse." You laughed.

"Ah, Lady Y/N!" Thor rumbled, hugging your small frame surprisingly gently as he walked in. "You're looking very sickly."

"Thank you, Thor. I'm feeling the part as well."

"I think you look great, Y/N." Clint joked, standing beside Natasha.

"How chivalrous." Sam laughed, standing next to Steve. Bruce walked in last, ruffling your hair and setting a small vase of flowers next to you.

"Thanks, Banner." You smiled, looking at the colorful arrangement of lilies, daisies, and marigolds.

"No need to thank me." He smiled back, adjusting his thick glasses. "How's your shoulder feeling?"

"Shitty, but there's nothing much to do about that." You smiled, scooting up and leaning against your right elbow.

"Careful, you have a few stitches." Steve warned you, gently helping you sit up.

"Is there anything I don't have to be fragile doing?" You scowled, rolling your eyes.

"Not that we know of." Tony answered, walking back in with Rhodes. "Pepper wishes you well, by the way."

"That's sweet of her. I wish you'd take a few pointers from that woman, Stark."

"As soon as you take a few pointers in fighting, kiddo."

"You know, I'm the same age as Nat, and I know how to fight." You argued.

"Yet you look four years younger." Tony replied, handing you a double chocolate muffin.

"Ignore Tony, he's a grinch when he doesn't get enough sleep." Rhodes told you, smiling gently.

"Stark's a grinch all of the time." Clint laughed.

The nine of you sat and chatted for a while, sharing stories and trying to lift your spirits overall. Your mind, however, didn't want to listen and kept wandering back to Bucky Barnes and the horrified look in his eyes as the accented man listed off words.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you heard echoes of, " _Ready to comply."_


End file.
